Students turn lamps into art for New York exhibit

Illustration student Eszter Chen has designed a floral take on New York in an unexpected spot: a ceramic lamp.

The piece, titled “Manhattan Rose,” is wrapped with hand-painted roses and ladybugs, the state flower and insect, and a map of Manhattan with stems as streets and leaves as signs.

“When people think of New York, they think of love and passion,” she said. “Instead of an urban place, I wanted to use more natural elements.”

Chen and 11 other students in Ann Field’s Illustration for License class, which applies illustration to interior products, have spent the two weeks hand crafting New York-themed lamps. Coronet Lighting will display the pieces as part of its “Lamps as Art” exhibition at the Boutique Design New York Show Nov. 11 to 12.

“Ceramics have been one of the most common forms of artistic expression for over 5,000 years,” according to Coronet’s Jim Bindman. “This collection emphasizes the vast creative opportunities for hospitality designers to specify lamps that are more than simply functional objects.”

The annual tradeshow will draw 5,000 interior designers, architects and buyers, as well as 250 manufacturers of high-end hospitality products, including furniture, lighting, accessories and artwork.

“Lamps as Art” marks the second collaboration with Coronet, one of the largest distributors of lighting in the hotel industry. In May, a dozen student-designed lamps were on display at a similar show in Las Vegas.

The project has also piqued Eszter’s interest in the East Coast. “I’ve never been to New York,” she said. “Now I want to go after this project.”